Another Shocking Way a Cruise Line Can Ruin Your Vacation (and How to Avoid It)

River cruise brochures tend to show only clear, blue skies. The truth about central Europe? It's often misty and gray, especially in the late fall and winter. When you see my Christmas Market pics later this week, though, you'll understand why it's worth it.

Imagine that you booked a Rhine river cruise months in advance but, three weeks before you were to fly to Europe, the cruise line cancelled on you, bumping you and every other booked guest off the ship because it had decided to charter the ship to a group. It happened to these travelers—and it could happen to you.

Imagine that you booked a Rhine river cruise months in advance but, three weeks before you were to fly to Europe, the cruise line cancelled on you, bumping you and every other booked guest off the ship because it had decided to charter the ship to a group. Imagine that you had paid thousands of dollars for non-refundable airfare to and from the ship and non-refundable hotel rooms before or after the cruise, and the cruise line was not obligated to reimburse these expenses. Imagine that you couldn't move to a different ship on a different river cruise line because, so close to departure time, all the ships were sold out.

This is what happened to North Americans booked on the June 21 Rhine sailing of German river cruise line A-ROSA, according to Condé Nast Traveler cruise specialist Tom Baker, who had three couples booked on the cruise. It's sad but true: You can get bumped from a cruise the same way you can get bumped from an oversold airline flight. And it seems to be happening more often. "Ship charters are on the rise," notes Baker, "and this creates havoc for booked guests."

When a cruise line bumps passengers because of a controllable circumstance—such as the charter of an entire ship to a group—usually it happens many months or even a year before the sailing, leaving you time to make other travel arrangements at reasonable prices. Compensation for getting bumped varies from case to case. Cruise lines offer a refund of the cruise fare but usually don't offer reimbursement of non-refundable airfare, non-refundable hotel payments, and any other prepaid arrangements that were not booked through the cruise line. They typically offer to move you to a different sailing operated by that cruise line and, sometimes, to reimburse your airline ticket-change fees for flying to the replacement cruise, but usually you're on the hook for any price hikes in airfare (which can be substantial when you're buying new international airline tickets at the last minute). In addition to refunding the cruise fare, "some cruise lines offer discounts, upgrades, and/or shipboard credits on the replacement cruise," says Baker. "It all depends on the cruise line, the urgency, and the timeline."

In the case of A-ROSA's Rhine river cruise, where booked guests were informed of the cancellation only three weeks and two days before the sail date, A-ROSA says it offered a "full refund." Bumped passengers with schedule flexibility were offered a one- or two-category upgrade on another A-ROSA sailing this summer that still had availability (either on the Rhine or, since there aren't many available cabins left on Rhine cruises this summer, on the Rhone in France), and A-ROSA promised to reimburse their airline ticket-change fees "when they eventually book their Europe vacation."

A-ROSA would not specify the total number of passengers bumped but said that "the overall impact was minor." Tell that to Baker's two clients who cancelled their trips to Europe entirely...and are still awaiting their refund. The third couple decided to go to Paris instead and is currently out-of-pocket not only for the cost of the cruise but also for $10,000 they paid to change their airline tickets (they had bought non-refundable business-class airfare to the cruise) and to cover hotel cancellation penalties.

Unfortunately, there's not much that travelers can do—besides choosing cruise ships known for first-rate customer service—to keep themselves from being bumped. (I myself sailed on A-ROSA late last year; at the time I said the line still had some kinks to work out, and clearly it still does.) Cruise lines are tight-lipped about behind-the-scenes charter deals like the one that ousted passengers from the A-ROSA sailing. "It does happen and there's not much you can do about it," says Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor in chief of Cruise Critic and an industry expert, who was surprised by the late cancellation. "If it happens six months out, it's disappointing, but you have time to rebook," she says. "Three weeks out is a little tight."

How Travelers Can Protect Themselves

While you can't really prevent a bumping, there are a couple of things you can do to protect yourself in case it happens. First, book through a trusted cruise specialist, like Baker, who can advocate for you with the cruise line (partly by threatening never to send any more business to the cruise line unless you are compensated properly) and who can use his or her industry connections and clout to get you the best possible last-minute replacement trip at the lowest possible cost. At first A-ROSA was not willing to reimburse bumped passengers for airfare and hotel rooms that they had booked independently; after Baker negotiated on his clients' behalf, A-ROSA changed its tune and promised to cover these costs.

Second, ask the right questions when buying travel insurance. Anybody making large non-refundable advance payments for a trip should always strongly consider buying travel insurance that covers trip cancellation. Buy your policy from a third-party travel-insurance company rather than from the cruise line (since the cruise line's insurance won't cover you if, say, the cruise line goes bankrupt and ceases operations before your sailing). Since it's far more likely that you'll be the one to cancel than that the cruise line will, look for a policy that provides coverage for those reasons for which you are most likely to have to cancel (e.g., an elderly parent becoming ill). If you want to be able to cancel for reasons not included in most policies (e.g., political unrest at your destination), consider a Cancel For Any Reason policy. When comparison-shopping among policies, ask specifically whether, if the cruise line cancels the cruise, you'll be reimbursed for additional non-refundable payments you've made—for airfare, hotel, and other prepaid arrangements. Forewarned is forearmed.